At an election forum Oct. 17 at the Westside Community Center, five District 11 school board candidates were asked how they will vote on Amendment 66. (The sixth candidate, James Tucker, did not attend.)
The meeting was sponsored by the Organization of Westside Neighbors (OWN).
Initiated onto the ballot, the question seeks a yes or no vote in the Nov. 5 election.
If passed, it would change the state constitution and statutes, including raising the state income tax with the intent of permanently providing more funding (set at $950 million in the first year) for public preschool through 12th grade. According to the State Ballot Information Booklet, “under the new structure, an
estimated 68 percent of households in Colorado will see their individual income taxes increase by 8 percent, while the remaining 32 percent will see greater increases.”
Those in favor say that Colorado underfunds education and believe that more money will lead to better student learning. Those in opposition question that statement, the tax's effect on the economy and how much of the money would actually go to students.
If passed, the ballot proposal would trigger enactment of Senate Bill 213, passed by the 2013 Colorado Legislature in straight party-line votes (all Democrats in favor, all Republicans opposed) in both houses. SB 213 establishes a new school-funding formula, redistributing money in ways meant to help “students
who are at risk of academic failure,” the State Ballot Information Booklet states.
Here is how the D-11 candidates said they would vote.